Pitchers

For my entire career I have relished making pitchers. It has something to do with the act of pouring and something to do with the way a spout and a handle animate a thrown form. Pitchers are naturally more dramatic than most functional pottery, emphasizing the sculptural quality of the form in much the same way that teapots do. I discovered the joys of throwing and altering pitchers at a salt glazing workshop I attended at the Memphis School of Art in the summer of 1972. Peter Sohngen taught me to apply the same uncompromising artistic standards to functional pottery as an artist would apply to purely sculptural pursuits. Pitchers taught me about function, but they also taught me about sculptural form.

Over the years I have become more known for my pitchers than for anything else I make. The form that I nicknamed Melon Pitcher, actually grew out of a pitcher form I was making as far back as the mid-70’s. Over time the form gradually got fuller with a narrower base, and eventually it seemed to have the plumpness of a melon!

Along with my initial influence from Peter Sohngen, I absorbed the forms of historical German Salt Glazed Jugs. My next major influence was Wales potter, Mick Casson. Through looking at Mick’s jugs, I learned to leave generous amounts of clay at the rim in order to pull a more dramatic spout. In the early 90’s I began noticing Jeff Oestreich’s pitchers, with their extended bird-like beaks, and was no longer satisfied with a simple pulled spout. This led to attaching an extension, but I never abandoned the fluidity that comes so naturally with the pulling process.

I hope you can see why I get excited about making pitchers!

If you are interested in purchasing Steven Hill Pottery, please refer to the Shop page on this website.

Bowls / Plates

I love making bowls. They flow so naturally when I’m throwing and next to drinking vessels, bowls are probably the most eminently functional item I make. Bowls are a perfect center piece on a table and they just beg to be used for serving food.

If you are interested in purchasing Steven Hill Pottery, email or call and I will send images of pieces currently in stock. If there is a price listed on a piece you see on my pottery pages, it means it is in stock and for sale.

I take credit cards, PayPal and personal checks for the purchase of pottery. Shipping starts at $15 for mugs and for larger pieces usually runs around 10-15% of the purchase price.

Urns

Most of the urns I make are special order. I prefer to have information about the person, including photo's or other memorabilia, to help guide me as I'm making the piece.

If you are interested in purchasing Steven Hill Pottery, email or call and I will send images of pieces currently in stock. If there is a price listed on a piece you see on my pottery pages, it means it is in stock and for sale.

I take credit cards, PayPal and personal checks for the purchase of pottery. Shipping starts at $15 for mugs and for larger pieces usually runs around 10-15% of the purchase price.

Teapots

Over the course of my lifetime as a potter, Teapots have been elevated to nearly mythical status in the ceramic world. They have been humbly used to make tea and they have been placed on pedestals and called sculpture. They have been eminently functional and they have been totally non-functional. They have even spawned a whole new genre of contemporary ceramics in which pottery forms are referenced in forms whose primary function is sculptural.

It’s not too difficult to see why... In even their most basic form Teapots have a sculptural appeal. By the time you take a simple thrown pot and put a spout, handle and lid on it, it begins to animate the form. This quality invites ceramic artists to use the familiarity of a teapot as a basis for sculptural exploration. Today you will find frequent Invitational Teapot shows in most major galleries in the United States.

When I make a teapot I try to strike a middle ground between the functional and sculptural. It is important for my teapots to invite use. They tend to be generous in size, but also quite functional in the way their various parts fit together... and they pour well. At the same time I want them to have a sculptural presence on the table. Although quite functional, I use an over the top handle to emphasize the pots’ sculptural presence and to separate them from the many pitcher forms I make.

If you are interested in purchasing Steven Hill Pottery, email or call and I will send images of pieces currently in stock. If there is a price listed on a piece you see on my pottery pages, it means it is in stock and for sale.

Platters

If you are interested in purchasing Steven Hill Pottery, email or call and I will send images of pieces currently in stock. If there is a price listed on a piece you see on my pottery pages, it means it is in stock and for sale.

I take credit cards, PayPal and personal checks for the purchase of pottery. Shipping starts at $15 for mugs and for larger pieces usually runs around 10-15% of the purchase price.

Mugs/Tumblers

****If I sell out of specific mugs shown in the images to the left, I might have have more that are similar in color. Please call (816-810-1563)or email (sahill@me.com) to discuss****

Drinking vessels are one of the most important items I make. When someone uses a cup or a mug it has the potential to be an intimate experience. Cups are caressed with the hands, encouraging the user to contemplate the color, texture and design of the piece as they hold it. The lips then become the final interface between cup and user, often with the tongue pressing against the rim.

Because of this intimacy, cups have the potential to connect with the user in a way that most pots can never quite aspire to. People develop relationships with their favorite drinking vessels through repeated use. I have quite a collection of mugs from other potters and morning coffee with one of my favorite mugs is a bit like having a conversation with the potter that made it.

If you are interested in purchasing Steven Hill Pottery, email or call and I will send images of pieces currently in stock. If there is a price listed on a piece you see on my pottery pages, it means it is for sale.

I take credit cards, PayPal and personal checks for the purchase of pottery. Shipping starts at $15 for mugs and for larger pieces usually runs around 10-15% of the purchase price.

Cups/Yunomis/Teabowls

If you are interested in purchasing Steven Hill Pottery, email or call and I will send images of pieces currently in stock. If there is a price listed on a piece you see on my pottery pages, it means it is in stock and for sale.

I take credit cards, PayPal and personal checks for the purchase of pottery. Shipping starts at $15 for mugs and for larger pieces usually runs around 10-15% of the purchase price.